Peregrine Juvenile Falcons Recover From Hunting Crashes

Over the weekend, two of the falcons born atop the Superman building in May crashed into a building downtown while they were swooping, or practicing hunting.

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The Born to Be Wild Nature Center is rehabilitating the falcon that survived the crash.

These male peregrine chicks were born atop the Superman Building in the spring. One of young falcons died over the weekend while swooping, or practicing hunting. A second is recovering at a rehabilitation center.

Credit Courtesy of Peter Green via Audubon Society of Rhode Island

Jeff Hall from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island is hopeful the injured juvenile falcon will make a full recovery.

“This is the same thing that happened to two of the Pawtucket falcons,” said Hall. “They flew into a building and luckily both of those were released last weekend as well. Sort of a good story, bad story on the same weekend.”

Hall said juvenile falcons swoop to practice hunting on their own.

"Peregrine falcons hunt by dive bombing their prey, knocking it unconscious with their balled talons (feet) and then catch the falling prey out of the air before it hits the ground," said Hall.

The rehabilitation center will release the young falcon back where it was found in Providence once he has fully recovered.

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Three baby peregrine falcons born atop Providence’s Superman building are now banded for tracking.

There were four eggs, but only three chicks survived, all boys. And now they have bands on their legs that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will keep a record of.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Jeff Hall said the banding took about a half hour, and the process started when licensed bander Joe Zbyrowski climbed a ladder to reach the chicks nesting in a special box.

The peregrine falcons nesting atop the Superman Building in downtown Providence have welcomed the first of their four chicks this week. A new female peregrine falcon has taken over the nest this year.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island has been monitoring the nesting box atop the Superman building for more than 10 years. This year, staff noticed the female who had been nesting there since 2000 was displaced.

Jeff Hall, senior director of advancement, said no one knows whether the bird died of age or during migration, or whether she was outcompeted by a younger bird.